The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of walking aids and more specifically relates to an improved walking cane device adapted to be used by a blind person to aid in walking and navigating upon any walking surface, use information pre-programmed upon a computer module, use information gathered by a receiver member in an elongated shaft, and send information through a speaker member in the elongated shaft and the wireless earpiece to the blind person for aiding in walking and navigating upon any walking surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to recent estimates, there are approximately 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States. Visual impairment is described as vision that cannot be fully corrected by ordinary prescription lenses, medical treatment, or surgical procedures. The term visual impairment also includes those conditions that range from the presence of good usable vision, low vision, to the absence of any sight at all: total blindness. There are a variety of terms used when people refer to visual impairment, including legal blindness, severe visual impairment, visually impaired, and low vision.
Blindness has many causes including cataract, trachoma, glaucoma, accidents, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. Surprisingly, Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. According to the American Foundation for the Blind one in six Americans age 65 and older are blind or severely visually impaired. Further, the population of those who suffer varying degrees of visual impairment is expected to more than double by the year 2030, when the last generation of baby-boomers reaches age 65. Each year, only a small fraction of older Americans experiencing age-related vision loss receives the vision-related rehabilitation services for which they are eligible.
Unfortunately, presented with the alarming statistics above, it is becoming increasingly clear that those with vision problems need all the help they can get, in many aspects of daily living. Specifically, the simple act of walking through one's neighborhood can be extremely challenging for those who suffer visual impairment. Typically, those who have varying degrees of blindness will employ a white cane as a means of alerting others to their impairment, as well as monitoring ground conditions. Specifically, by using a cane, a blind person is able to discern breaks in a sidewalk, steps, or even puddles to avoid. Still, as practical as these devices are, improvements to their design that facilitate enhanced use are always welcome
Various attempts have been made to solve problems found in walking aids art. Among these are found in: U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0223546 to Albert Nazarian; U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,856 to Hsieh Chi-Sheng; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,210 to Christ G. Ellis. This prior art is representative of walking aids with audio and visual means.
Ideally, an improved walking cane device should be user-friendly and safe in-use and, yet should operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for an improved walking cane device adapted to be used by a blind person to aid in walking and navigating upon any walking surface, use information pre-programmed upon a computer module, use information gathered by a receiver member in an elongated shaft, and send information through a speaker member in the elongated shaft and the wireless earpiece to the blind person for aiding in walking and navigating upon any walking surface and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.